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Friends of Ferguson Library Used Book Shop

One Public Library Plaza, Stamford

I come from a long line of book lovers. My dad used to bring home cases of dusty books from local library sales with such provocative titles as “Twelfth and Thirteenth Annual Reports of the Bureau of Animal Industry for the Fiscal Years 1895 and 1896.” I… never read it. Nor, I suspect, did anyone else except my dad and the author. But I do, as many of you, read anything on the Top 10 bestseller list. Which you can get on the cheap at the Friends of Ferguson Library Used Book Shop, operated by Stamford library volunteers.

Who they are: Volunteers who stock and sell “quality used books at reasonable prices to provide financial support for the mission of the Friends of Ferguson Library.” (website)

What they do: Proceeds from sales of music and books support special library programs and, through their Friend-to-Friend Program (F2F), provide free books to select Stamford non-profit agencies to “serve as a free community literacy resources.” Special gifts to the library include transportation for children to and from the library and a special reader for people with macular degeneration. Through F2F, the library has donated over 200,000 books to agencies since 2003.

What you may not know but should:
1. FF has a rare and collectible book section, including a free training program to teach volunteers how to recognize and value prized publications.
2. Since 1981, FF has sponsored author luncheons as a “thank you” to the community it services. They have hosted such literary luminaries as Frank McCourt and Elizabeth Strout.

Graze

That could be the beginning of a great joke or a bad porn flick. But it’s neither. It’s actually true. He comes to my home on Monday mornings and delivers fresh milk, eggs, chef-prepared meals, and other organic treats directly from artisanal farms in Vermont. And the price? No more than what you’d pay at Whole Foods.

Graze, the brainchild of Christy Colasurdo, a Westport mom and former New York magazine editor along with husband, Doug, and Vermont friends Julianna and Steve (a former CFO of Heineken Americas. Yes, male readers: beer) allows Fairfield County-ers to enjoy delicious farm-to-table foods to which they would otherwise have little or no access (farmers aren’t necessarily great marketers and, to be fair, vice-versa).

Chef Neil whips up a weekly menu of prepared foods, including a soup, adult dinner, kids dinner, grain salad, vegetarian alternative, tea bread, cheese, and much more. His meals and soups are beautifully prepared from local ingredients (Misty Knoll chicken, grass-fed angus beef, freshly picked vegetables) and are surprisingly, and refreshingly, well-seasoned (whoever decided that organic meals must be low-sodium should be locked into a room of hungry pre-schoolers. And their moms.)

Christy tells me, “We have taken great pains to make sure every ingredient we use and every product we sell is not only delicious and nutritious and wholesome, but also sustainably and humanely produced. (We) work with small farmers who know and love their animals and treat them with respect.

Wakeman Town Farm

When we first moved to Fairfield County I thought it’d be fun to grow our own Halloween pumpkin in our little garden next to the fence. I planted one or two seeds and watched its first baby leaves peep out and, eventually, take over the entire patch. In no time, it had clambered up the fence, crawled into the neighbor’s garden, and was poised to take over their entire yard before I hacked it down with an axe. The next day it had become bigger and stronger and was clearly preparing itself for world domination.

Long story short, I’m now the proud farmer of chives, weeds, and an unsettling crop of pale leafy carrots.

Now, I could go to Wakeman “organic demonstration homestead” and learn how to grow vegetables in an environmentally responsible way. Which I easily can, because they offer all sorts of ways to educate people on how not to destroy plants. But they also offer children’s camps and classes, so I’ll save the thrill of nurturing organic zucchini for my kids. Plus, there are a bunch of snuggly farm animals for them to care for and cuddle, including one very fluffy white chicken.

Homes With Hope

The “joke” in Westport is that the town has the only homeless shelter in the country that’s four doors down from a Tiffany. I bet the executives at Tiffany get a good chuckle over that one.

Homes With Hope offers housing, over 30,000 meals a year, Masters-level counseling, and an opportunity for independence to homeless and mentally challenged people and their families. A lot of Tiffany customers volunteer at HwH, and the success stories are worth their weight in gold.

Robin’s Note: Currently, there are 86 people sleeping every night in close proximity to the jewelers. 30 of these people are children. Also, the HwH board appoints two high school student members, a junior and a senior, who volunteer for 2 years.

Who they are: “Homes with Hope provides facilities and supportive services in a structured environment that enable homeless people in the communities we serve to achieve an independent and self-sufficient life.”—ihawestport.com

South Moon Under

Born from a surf shack in 1968, South Moon Under honors it roots by selling swimsuits year ‘round. Which is fabulous for those of you itching for a mid-winter bikini spree. Personally, I try to avoid that kind of reality (and many others, including my birthday, dirty toilets, and the tower of mail and overdue library books on my kitchen counter.)

If you don’t want a bikini but you want to show skin, they’ve got you covered. Tiny cut-offs, pleather crop tops, patterned halters. If the sight of your pasty thighs in short-shorts sends you screaming for a maxi-dress, you’re in luck: they’ve got those, too. Colorful ones. So you can cover up. Sort of.

There are all sorts of fun, relaxed clothing appropriate for a privileged teenager or working twenty-something on vacation. If you don’t like what you see, wait a week. New clothing and different designers will keep you and your budget in a constant state of wonder.

Robin’s note: The entire bottom floor is a sale room! It’s kind of empty now, but it won’t be for long. Retailers tend to overestimate the number of rayon-blend dresses and novelty sweaters it takes to saturate our market.

Who you’ll see shopping here: Moms of teens, shopping for themselves or for their teen daughter.

Rave reviews!

The critics have spoken!
Robinsresources.com delivers “…smart, informative and laugh out-loud hysterical reviews of Fairfield County charities, shops, restaurants, and more.” – nbc.com
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The Beehive

1561 Post Road, Fairfield

The only problem with The Beehive is that it’s perfect. The store is airy and inviting, the gifts are lovely (and useful!) with a sense of humor, and the owners Sarah and Chris are manifestations of a J. Crew catalog. Even their rescue dog is purebred - not the wacky amalgams* most of us adopt.

None of this is a problem per se but, typically, gift stores carry a few items at which we can roll our eyes or buy as joke presents. That’s not happening here.

Tasteful items range from Allegra Hicks throw pillows to Jonathan Adler salt and pepper shakers, Loren Hope necklaces to charming stationary. The children’s gifts are deliciously whimsical, though geared more toward a hip mom than an actual toddler. But who cares. Better to keep the mom happy if she’s dealing with toddlers.

Robin’s note: Ironically, I’m not a huge fan of blogs. Especially those on store sites which I find to be a bit pandering. But their blog is (surprise!) really good. I found myself wanting most of their suggested gift items.

Price points are kept low for “guilt-free” shopping - for those of you who’ve ever felt guilty about it. And once you’ve purchased gifts for yourself and all the party-throwers in your life, you can wrap them in gorgeous paper and ribbons, also for sale. So your OCD friends will love it, too.

Little Black Dog Rescue

We adopted a dog last summer - Addison, rescued from Puerto Rico. He’s a hybrid of, oh, 5 or 6 indeterminate breeds and it’s no exaggeration to say he’s the most amazing dog in the entire history of the world. So I was researching Playa Lucia, aka Dead Dog Beach, from where he hails. And I feel like someone just punched me in the stomach. Warning - the next paragraph is graphic.

Dead Dog Beach is a dumping ground for satos, or stray dogs. Up to 300 dogs at a time “live” there, abused and neglected, foraging for food, starving to death, and much worse. Not infrequently, men with guns or cross-bows use these dogs for target practice or hack them up with machetes. Others are poisoned or run over for by ATVs “for fun.” Those that don’t die from torture, starvation, or sickness are euthanized and tossed into the trash with hundreds of other dead dogs and puppies.

While this depravity is most pronounced in Puerto Rico, dogs are horribly mistreated and abused all over the United States.

To think this easily could have been our Addison’s fate is hideous.

Anecdotally, black dogs have the most difficulty finding adoptive homes. Reasons for this are conjecture, but theorires for “Black Dog Syndrome” include the Hollywood typecasting of black dogs in “evil” dog roles and that they don’t photograph well for promotional materials.

Amy Scarella, founder of Little Black Dog Rescue, has devoted herself to finding homes for these dark and deserving pups. She works with shelters in Puerto Rico, Georgia, and South Carolina to bring dogs to her home and foster families in Connecticut before matching them with the right families. All dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and deemed healthy before they’re placed.

Robin’s Note: Adopt a dog this Sunday! On March 23, Doggone Smart, 15 Cross St, Norwalk, is hosting Little Black Dog Rescue and a posse of their cutest pooches, all eager for adoption. Please swing by between 12-3. http://www.doggonesmart.com

Project Return

Ah, springtime. The weather warms, the crocuses pop, and tin birds that seemed to have sprung from a Blue Meanies and Yo Gabba Gabba cross-mating experiment lurk on random roadways. Yes, they appear (most) every March to herald the Annual Project Return Birdhouse Auction. And the cause makes those freaky creatures worth tolerating.

Who they are: Since 1986, Project Return has housed troubled adolescent girls. “Girls who are victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse as well as those who suffer from eating disorders, depression, homelessness and other traumas make Project Return their temporary home.”

What they do: “7 girls at a time live in this family-like atmosphere. In the process of mending broken spirits, our teens regain a sense of their own power to change their lives for the better.” (website) Girls receive the education and attention they need to empower themselves and mend their lives. They receive counseling, drug screening, educational and hospital services, DBT skills training, 12-step area meetings for addiction, special education if needed, cultural enrichment, and much more.

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